Layla
dir-scr Amrou Al-Kadhi; with Bilal Hasna, Louis Greatorex 24/UK ****
With wonderfully loose authenticity, this breezy British drama hones in on the often contradictory nature of being human. Writer-director Amrou Al-Kadhi refreshingly resists creating characters who are easy to pigeon-hole, and the situations don't resolve themselves in the tidy ways we have grown to expect on-screen. Instead, the film has some strong things to say about how our self-image is a key factor in our work and relationships. And even more importantly, it's a relentlessly charming movie.
dir Zacharias Mavroeidis; with Yorgos Tsiantoulas, Andreas Labropoulos 23/Gr ****
An astutely written and directed meta comedy about the nature of filmmaking, this Greek film playfully pokes fun at both itself and low-budget queer movies. Multiple layers of narrative feed together inventively to explore family relationships, friendships, romance, lust and even pet ownership for a group of 30-something guys. And as it knowingly grapples with issues of loyalty and masculinity, the film is warm, funny and very sexy... FULL REVIEW >
dir-scr Sacha Polak; with Vicky Knight, Esme Creed-Miles 23/UK **.
Beautifully shot like an artful fly-on-the-wall doc and played with remarkable authenticity by a fresh cast, this film is watchable as an observant slice of life. Writer-director Sacha Polak captures the rhythms of British working class situations with plenty of energy, although the plot is so slim that this could have been an effective 20-minute short. There's also a problem with the naturalistic dialog, which is difficult to hear... FULL REVIEW >
dir Luis Alejandro Yero; with Dariel Diaz, Daryl Acuna 23/Cub ****
Shot fly-on-the-wall style, this sharply well-made film follows the lives of four young Cuban men who are living in limbo in wintry Moscow. They have travelled there with hopes of bettering life for themselves and their families back home by hopefully moving into the European Union. But they're stuck here without documents, and being queer in Russia isn't easy. Filmmaker Luis Alejandro Yero takes an unusually artful approach, revealing inner feelings through overheard conversations, music and silence.
dir Sav Rodgers; with Sav Rodgers, Kevin Smith 23/US ***.
Kevin Smith's 1997 comedy Chasing Amy stars Ben Affleck as a comic writer who falls in love with a lesbian played by Joey Lauren Adams. It's been considered problematic for its gender politics, but filmmaker Sav Rodgers found it inspiring because of its honest depiction of openly queer people. So he made this documentary both to say thank you and to understand why the movie generated so much controversy... FULL REVIEW >
Full reviews will be linked on Shadows' BFI FLARE PAGE >
For festival information, BFI FLARE >
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C R I T I C A L W E E K
Coming up this week are the blockbuster sequel Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Australian drama Limbo, Irish drama Baltimore. On stage at Sadler's Wells, there's UniVerse, a second Wayne McGregor show, as well as the medieval re-enactment performance Assembly Hall.
